Bilbao Pintxos Advice from Michelin Star Chef Josean Alija

72 Hours in Northern Spain and wondering where to find the best pintxos from San Sebastian to Bilbao? We’ve got you’ve covered!

What better way to familiarize ourselves with Basque Country than via a personalized, pintxos tour led by world-renowned, Michelin One Star, No. 56 World’s 50 Best Chef Josean Alija? That was a mouthful of adjectives, but he’s got a lot of accolades. When a leading chef offers to take time out of his busy schedule to give you a tour, you put on your walking shoes, hit the road and prepare to eat and drinks for hours on end. 🙂

Josean Alija is famous for his role as executive Chef of Nerua Guggenheim, an exquisite dining experience in the heart of Bilbao that we enjoyed twice over the duration of our stay in Biscay. Heeding Chef’s advice, over a three day period, we ventured into the heart of Bilbao and San Sebastian following his lead noshing on all the best bites Northern Spain has to offer. Below is a handy list with some delicious pics and a few suggestions for what to order (and do) at each location in Bilbao and San Sebastian. Chef Josean knows all the legit, non-touristy spots where you can eat like a local while enjoying the finest ingredients around. There’s a few places that crept onto the list that we found all by ourselves, plus a few places that our well-traveled friends recommended – those spots were pretty tasty too. All compiled below for your convenience.

In addition to the Bilbao suggestions above, Chef Josean Alija of Nerua Guggenheim & his resident communications specialist, Naiara Ortiz, graciously arranged a tour of ‘can’t miss’ San Sebastian restaurants which we’ve shared with you below. Two locations hold “The Michelin Plate” recognition and are worthy of a stop, and the third place is a brain-child of Mugaritz, No. 09 Best Restaurant on the World’s 50 Best Restaurant list for 2017. All were outstanding recommendations.

Aged Mole from Restaurant Pujol in Mexico City collaberation with ingredients from Topa and under directorship of Mugaritz.

Guac with avocado, tomato marmalade, cilantro and lime (see video of making the quac here.)

“Al pastor” Basque style tacos

When you find yourself in Basque Country, take this list with you. It will definitely come in handy and it will ensure that you won’t get stuck in the touristy spots around town. Do keep in mind that daily between 2 pm – 4:30 pm, restaurants and businesses close, so be sure to plan around the afternoon break and go early or late. Let us know if you have any questions or need further advice on attractions in the area. It’s a short 1.5 hours drive between San Sebastian and Bilbao with beautiful scenery along the way. If you make the drive, it will set you back about 25 euro to drive on the tollway that connects the cities, so be sure to take cash ~ it’s worth the spend!

Gracias!

E & B Woodward

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